What does an accounting coordinator do?
An accounting coordinator is responsible for assisting the operations of the organization's accounting department, processing financial reports, and serving as a liaison between the accounting staff and other department personnel or external parties. Accounting coordinators maintain a record of accounts payable and receivables, issuing invoices, updating account statements, resolving account discrepancies, and managing bank reconciliations. They also help with tax audits, as well as performing bookkeeping functions and other administrative tasks as needed. An accounting coordinator must have excellent analytical skills and knowledge of accounting principles and disciplines.
Accounting coordinator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real accounting coordinator resumes:
- Train and manage employees in payroll operations, and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
- Manage accounting in QuickBooks, scheduling and material purchasing
- Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
- Conduct online research, in order to acquire detail commission statements for commission ACH bank deposits and commission checks.
- Perform complex account reconciliations and analysis to ensure proper support and documentation for balance sheet and income statement account balances.
- Import previous day's invoices from POS system into QuickBooks using custom software correcting invoices as necessary to permit importing.
- Standardize control system for ACH wire requests for vendor payments to assure payments need for shipments and to accrue costs accurately.
- Participate in payroll software design reviews and modifications to ensure statutory compliance and accuracy.
- Execute multiple company bank statement reconciliations for month end reports and calculate monthly commissions for outside sales representatives.
- Manage revenue ledger including other subsidiary ledgers and responsible for the reconciliation of various income accounts to ensure accuracy of postings.
- Gather materials for IRS audits and subpoenas, work with legal department to create response.
- Process accounting documents concerning entitlement to travel expenses for military and /or civilian personnel in activities service by DFAS.
Accounting coordinator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Accounting Coordinators are proficient in Customer Service, Reconciliations, and Data Entry. They’re also known for soft skills such as Computer skills, Detail oriented, and Integrity.
We break down the percentage of Accounting Coordinators that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Customer Service, 12%
Resolved payment delays, monitored/controlled accounts payable/receivable, account reconciliations and providing exceptional customer service to both internal and external customers.
- Reconciliations, 9%
Performed complex account reconciliations and analysis to ensure proper support and documentation for balance sheet and income statement account balances.
- Data Entry, 8%
Provided Administrative support to accounting department including data entry, administrative special projects, bank and vendor reconciliation, research.
- Purchase Orders, 5%
Verify purchase order documentation to invoices received for specific purchases and prepare all approved invoices for input into financial system.
- General Ledger Accounts, 4%
Monitored monthly activity of general ledger accounts for accuracy and completeness.
- Credit Card Payments, 4%
Processed credit card payments Accomplishments I have great communication with vendors to make sure any problems that arise are solved.
Common skills that an accounting coordinator uses to do their job include "customer service," "reconciliations," and "data entry." You can find details on the most important accounting coordinator responsibilities below.
Computer skills. The most essential soft skill for an accounting coordinator to carry out their responsibilities is computer skills. This skill is important for the role because "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks need to be comfortable using computer spreadsheets and bookkeeping software." Additionally, an accounting coordinator resume shows how their duties depend on computer skills: "entered invoices utilizing a computerized purchase order system and running weekly checks. "
Detail oriented. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling accounting coordinator duties is detail oriented. The role rewards competence in this skill because "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks are responsible for producing accurate financial records." According to an accounting coordinator resume, here's how accounting coordinators can utilize detail oriented in their job responsibilities: "conducted online research, in order to acquire detailed commission statements for commission ach bank deposits and commission checks. "
Integrity. This is an important skill for accounting coordinators to perform their duties. For an example of how accounting coordinator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks have control of an organization’s financial documentation, which they must use properly and keep confidential." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an accounting coordinator: "entrusted with all wire transfer and petty cash responsibilities. ".
Math skills. For certain accounting coordinator responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "math skills." The day-to-day duties of an accounting coordinator rely on this skill, as "bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks deal with numbers daily and should be comfortable with basic arithmetic." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what accounting coordinators do: "prepared worksheets to show statistics such as cash receipts and expenditures, accounts payable/receivable and profit and loss. "
The three companies that hire the most accounting coordinators are:
- Enterprise Holdings12 accounting coordinators jobs
- Beacon Hill Staffing Group11 accounting coordinators jobs
- Smithfield Foods10 accounting coordinators jobs
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Compare different accounting coordinators
Accounting coordinator vs. Bookkeeper
Bookkeepers are employees who are in charge of the company's general ledger. They are well-versed in basic accounting principles, and they apply these in their work. Bookkeepers manage the entry of items in the general ledger, assign items into their proper categories, and ensure that the entries are balanced. They also act as auditors by checking the accuracy and veracity of the receipts or vouchers in their possession before entering them into the system. Bookkeepers ensure that their files are up to date and free of errors.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between accounting coordinators and bookkeeper. For instance, accounting coordinator responsibilities require skills such as "credit card payments," "accruals," "account reconciliations," and "external auditors." Whereas a bookkeeper is skilled in "payroll tax returns," "journal entries," "financial transactions," and "credit card accounts." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Bookkeepers tend to make the most money working in the manufacturing industry, where they earn an average salary of $42,063. In contrast, accounting coordinators make the biggest average salary, $48,363, in the manufacturing industry.bookkeepers tend to reach similar levels of education than accounting coordinators. In fact, bookkeepers are 3.0% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Accounting coordinator vs. Corporate accountant
A corporate accountant is an individual who prepares financial statements and maintains financial records of an organization to ensure that they comply with laws, regulations, and the organization's policies. Corporate accountants are required to analyze financial statements to help executives make financial decisions for the organization. They must collect ledgers and financial reports from divisional offices and prepare corporate financial statements for executives. Corporate accountants must also prepare budgets to allocate funds for spending for each department.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, accounting coordinator responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "customer service," "data entry," "purchase orders," and "credit card payments." Meanwhile, a corporate accountant has duties that require skills in areas such as "cpa," "close process," "real estate," and "strong analytical." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Corporate accountants earn a higher average salary than accounting coordinators. But corporate accountants earn the highest pay in the finance industry, with an average salary of $71,156. Additionally, accounting coordinators earn the highest salaries in the manufacturing with average pay of $48,363 annually.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Corporate accountants tend to reach similar levels of education than accounting coordinators. In fact, they're 4.8% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for accounting coordinators in the next 3-5 years?
Grace Huff
Assistant Professor of Accounting, Daemen College
Accounting coordinator vs. Accounts payable clerk
An accounts payable clerk is responsible for supporting the accounting department by performing clerical duties to file financial reports timely and accurately. Accounts payable clerks manage and verify invoices documents, reconcile balance spreadsheets, process payments for suppliers and vendors, resolve billing discrepancies, confirm and post account statements, record outstanding credits, and maintain an organized record of transactions. An accounts payable clerk must have excellent knowledge of the accounting principles to deliver high-quality services and help the business minimize excessive financial loss.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from accounting coordinator resumes include skills like "credit card payments," "accruals," "external auditors," and "accounts receivables," whereas an accounts payable clerk is more likely to list skills in "payroll," "credit card," "journal entries," and "vendor inquiries. "
Accounts payable clerks make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $41,570. On the other hand, accounting coordinators are paid the highest salary in the manufacturing industry, with average annual pay of $48,363.accounts payable clerks typically earn similar educational levels compared to accounting coordinators. Specifically, they're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Accounting coordinator vs. Junior accountant
Junior accountants maintain the financial records of companies through the analysis of their general ledger accounts and balance sheets. The accountant's post journal entries, maintain accounts receivable and payable, and update financial statements. They pay payroll every month, reconcile ledgers, and submit payroll taxes. The skills necessary for this job include analytical skills, problem-solving, information confidentiality, and proficiency in accounting software and technology. They are also expected to be detail-oriented.
Types of accounting coordinator
Updated January 8, 2025
